


A Promise

by redrose689



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 05:36:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redrose689/pseuds/redrose689
Summary: “The sensation of floating is strange. And being completely underwater – unable to breathe or hear - is unsettling.” She threaded her fingers through one of his hands, skimming his knuckles. “It’s funny. You’re a creature of the ground. Being on land and underwater is good for you. But you hate heights. And I love them.”“Who says I ain’t like heights?”“You try to hide it, but I can tell.”Daryl chuckled and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “Makes sense why we both like the beach, I suppose.”“How so?”“Dunno. I guess the beach always seemed like where the sky and ground meet.”------------A one shot about Daryl and OC Bella discovering an ocean cave and their adventure. Based on characters from my other story "Shit Happens" but you don't need to read it to understand.





	A Promise

**Author's Note:**

> This story uses the same characters from my other series "Shit Happens", but you don't need to read that to understand!
> 
> It takes place between season 8 and 9 ( a couple months after the war against the Savior's).

“Are you shitting me?” Bella scowled at Daryl, her eyebrows creasing over her green eyes. It might’ve been almost intimidating if it wasn’t for the strong gusts of winds that kept whipping strands of her black hair onto her face.

Daryl just gave her that insufferable innocent expression – his eyebrows were raised and his eyes just a little bit too wide as he stilled his movements. “You said you’d let me teach you how to swim.”

“That was weeks ago! And _you_ said we were just going boating. ‘Fishing’ if we are being technical about it.”

He tossed the boat’s line to a craggly rock, looping it around. Once he tied the rope, he tugged it securely until he was satisfied it would hold. “There ain’t ever gonna be a better time.”  
Bella stared at him incredulously. Oblivious to her distress, Daryl began to unbutton his shirt. The traitor had left his token vest behind – the first sign of his deceit. “There are _plenty_ of other times when we can do this.”  
He ignored her and flung his shirt onto the floor of the boat, where his shoes soon joined. More like a canoe, it rocked violently under the next swell of waves. Daryl slung his pack over his back.

Her voice went a pitch higher as she watched him stand up and brace himself on the boat’s edge. “You know, most people learn at a pool - where it’s safe with a designated amount of feet deep. They _don’t_ get coerced into swimming in the middle of the ocean.”

Daryl paused and raised an eyebrow at her. Bella’s mouth went dry when he slipped into water, momentarily disappearing.

When he emerged, his dark brown hair was plastered to his face. Daryl pushed himself up the canoe’s edge so that his chin could rest on his crossed arms. He wasn’t smiling for her sake, but Bella could see the gleam in his eyes. They appeared precisely the same shade as the water he was in.

“This place ain’t in the middle of the ocean. I checked it out a few weeks ago. Once we get inside, it’s pretty shallow. And I ain’t gonna let you drown.”

She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at him. When he didn’t look away from her stare down, Bella lost hope in deterring him.

Bella glanced up helplessly – _longingly_ at the cliff edges that were over a hundred feet above their heads. She had trusted this stupid man when he rowed them away from the shore. They had gone fishing plenty of times before, and Bella had only felt a pinch amount of concern when he started heading down a different direction. The pale grainy sand had transformed into jagged, obsidian-like rocks. And the ground had grown high above them until all she could see were towering cliffs.

She exhaled slowly as she stripped away her grey tee, folding it carefully before placing it on the boat’s floor. She shot Daryl a nasty look, who simply continued to watch and wait patiently. She kicked her boots off, and then her jeans. She kept her dagger’s holster around her thigh.

Left in her simple grey cupped bra and black underwear, Bella shivered as another gust of wind hitting her bare skin, goosebumps breaking out. She could taste the salt on her lips and feel it on her body. And she wasn’t even in the water yet.

She kicked her legs over the boat’s edge, frowning at the chilly temperature. It was summer, and the noon Virginian sun was glaring down on them, yet the water and wind made it feel like it was November in Georgia.

“You’ll get used to it in the water,” Daryl promised.

Bella looked down at him, where he was leisurely tilting his head up at her. She frowned at him. “I could leave, you know? Grab the paddles, leave you and your traitorous ways behind, and head back to shore. I’d be wonderfully alive and _dry._ ”

Daryl considered that.  “You could.”

She scowled.

Bella fell into the water rather gracelessly. As soon as she slipped in, she almost immediately jumped back into the boat.

Her arm hooked around the boat’s edge, which dug inside her elbow. Her face and other hand were pressed against the outer side of the boat.

That brief moment when she felt her body sinking was unnerving to say the least. It was like she was dangling in air – or, something thicker than air. This is what she’d imagine outer space to feel like. She’s never really experienced that sensation before, but she felt sure that if she let go right now, she’d sink.  

Daryl, who mirrored her position albeit in a calmer fashion, was right beside her. He faced her, but he held onto the edge as if it was simply a stair’s railing rather than the only thing tethering him. She felt only a teeny bit smug when she realized she had splashed him in the face during the process.

“There’s no floor,” she said flatly.

Daryl snorted. “First part’s done. Now we just gotta go underwater.”

They had “docked” in a corner. One side was the foot of the cliffs, and the other was - _surprise –_ more rocks. Made of stone, it didn’t go as high up as the cliffs and seemed to be rounding out.

Daryl pointed at the wall of stone, to which Bella glanced at him incredulously.

“A cove’s hidin’ in there,” Daryl explained. “When I went, the water level was lower. Could see the opening easily and boat right on through. It ain’t that submerged right now though. Shouldn’t be hard to swim through.”

“How the hell am I supposed to get there?”

Daryl’s free hand slid onto her waist, the heat startling in the water. He was right, Bella grudgingly admitted. The water, although cool, soon felt comfortable.

“Kick your legs a little bit. Just naturally – no need to be too rough.”

“Do I keep kicking?” Before he said anything, her legs had just been floating along with her.

“Yeah. It’ll help you float better.”

The pressure on her arm lessened as her legs managed to sustain more of her weight. She looked down between them curiously, barely making out the movement of her legs.

Daryl tugged on her free arm, wrapping it around his neck. His hand wrapped around her waist, and she pressed against his side. He looked at the wall of craggly stones.

“I’m gonna swim us over there, alright? Just kick your legs.”

She tightened her hold on him. “If you let go of me, I’m leaving you.”

The dropping sensation made her heart jump up her throat. But she remembered his words and kicked her legs along with him. She still clung onto him, and Daryl guided them until they hit the wall. He grabbed onto a thick root that grew along the stone and held them both up.

Daryl nudged her to grab the root. He let go of her, and the loss of warmth was jarring. “I’m gonna find the opening. Shouldn’t be too long.”

Before she could protest, he dived down into the water. She felt numb as the chilly wind picked up again. She tried to breathe normally and experimented a bit in kicking her legs. The feeling was fun, she supposed.

When Daryl’s head suddenly popped up beside her, she had to squash down the instinctive urge to stab a knife in his skull. But maybe something about the look in her eye showed through, causing him to chuckle when he scanned her.

“It’s only less than a yard beneath us. All you gotta do is breathe in, and breathe out as we dive. Breathin’ out will help you go down. Just hold onto me. I’ll do the rest, alright?”

She nodded. Whenever she gets focused, her eyebrows always creased, and her lips turn downward into a small frown. It made Daryl smile even more.

He tightened his hold on her. “One. Two. Three.”

Daryl made a show of breathing in, and she mirror him. And when they both breathed out, he let go of the vine and the two sunk.

Bella instinctively shut her eyes. She felt Daryl beneath her, pulling the both of them down and forward. The sound of waves crashing against rocks disappeared as though it was swallowed. She could only hear her own heartbeat. Her free arm was in front of her face, blindly reaching out.

The burn in her lungs was faint but was growing in intensity with every second. The only thing keeping her tethered was the arm wrapped around her waist.

As soon as her head burst through the water, she inhaled harshly, immediately and instinctively propelling herself toward the only stable thing within her vicinity – Daryl. She heard him swear as her elbow managed to clip him in the jaw, but he still held on to her all the same.

Arms wrapped around his neck, she pressed herself against him as she smothered him in a hug. She rubbed her eyes from the water before opening her eyes.

“Oh, wow,” she breathed out.

While the ocean outside was unruly and tumultuous, the waters inside were calm and tranquil. The gently hushing sound of the soft laps of waves echoed in the cavern. The black stone grew all around them in almost a perfect circle, creating a dome the size of a garage. She could see an arch on the other side that led to somewhere dark. The only thing that connected them to the outside was the natural hole in the ceiling that allowed light to stream in.

Daryl felt her erratic heartbeat slowing down as she took the sights in. He guided them to the edge of the wall, her long, inky black hair trailing behind them in the water.

His hand splayed across her back as she pulled back, tilting her head. Elbows braced on his shoulders, she wiped his wet strands away from his eyes. The way she looked at him – her lips slightly quirked up on one side, her eyes wide, and her tilted head – always took his breath away. She looked wonder-struck.

“It’s beautiful.” She glanced around, her eye catching a sign that was nailed onto the stone. Having been rusting away for years, the words were illegible. “What is this place? How’d you find it?”

Daryl shrugged, causing water to slosh around them. “Some sorta cave. We’ll go deeper in over there. Found a brochure couple weeks ago and came to scope it out.”

Bella glanced toward the opening on the other side. The wrinkle in her eyebrows came back.

“It’ll get shallower,” he promised. “Enough to walk. This place here is as deep as it gets.”

The two treaded to the archway and slipped through. A spindly, narrow tunnel revealed itself. The rocks created wonderful structures – arches, columns, and more paths. There were occasional gaps in the stone that allowed light to break through. Bella could hear the sound of dripping water, each _plunk_ loud and startling as it echoed through the walls.  

As they explored deeper in, Bella saw things that just blew her away. She marveled at how after every twist and turn, she never knew what to expect. It may lead to another tunnel, or huge chasm, or cave. Her and Daryl wandered through what felt like almost every nook.

True to his word, they hardly had to swim for most of it. Sometimes, they waded through water only a few feet deep. Other times, they walked on bare feet. They walked on sand, moss-covered stones, and pebbles.

Once out of the water, the cool rocks and waters made it rather chilly. Daryl had rooted out a white, wrinkled button-up out of his waterproof pack for her. It was one of his and hung down her thighs. It had a few flecks of walker blood on it, but it hardly phased her.

Bella and Daryl were never the couple to hold hands all the time or kiss passionately every time they saw each other. New people would rarely assume they were a couple – or even anything more than friends once they meet Daryl – when they first see Bella and Daryl together. The two would often be seen planning or working together, but they were almost always focused on the matter at hand. It took a bit observing to connect the dots. The way they’d gravitated to one another, or how Rick and Michonne just naturally would pair the two together, knowing they’d end up with each other regardless. How Daryl would stand close to her when they discussed the plan or issue, just a breath of space in between them. They didn’t often touch even then. But sometimes they’d forget themselves, and he’d absentmindedly touch her elbow or her sleeve or she’d brush his hair out of his eyes.

Neither were particularly comfortable with public displays of affection, and it made it easier on both of them to focus and work when they were out in the world. It was behind the doors or away from others’ eyes that they would cave in the other’s touch and presence.

It had taken them a long time to find what was comfortable for them when they first explored a romantic relationship. But it has been long enough for Daryl to no longer hesitated from reaching out to her and for Bella to stop shying away.

In what was probably Bella’s favorite spot so far, they eventually stopped to eat some salted fish and strips of rabbit meat. It was another cave like to the one they first entered through. It had a similar dome shape but was smaller and had no hole in the ceiling. But enough light was emitted from the water itself – from rays of sun reflecting off of the bottom of the shallow floor up into the dome. The water was about half a dozen feet on one side, and eventually grew shallower till it reached a small little shore of fine white sand.

The two lounged on the shore, bellies full and satisfied. Her head on his chest, Bella had one arm wrapped around his torso. She skimmed her fingers across the sand. The feeling of the cool, soft sand giving way was calming. One of Daryl’s hands was rhythmically brushing through her damp, salty hair. That, the sound of Daryl’s steady heartbeat under her ear, and the full feeling in her stomach all helped slowly lulling her to sleep, her eyes fluttering shut.

But before she could dose off, Daryl’s low, gravelly voice roused her up. “What do y’think?”

He could feel her smile on his chest, her cheek raising. Her eyes still closed, she mused, “I’ve never seen anything like this place. It’s timeless. The world could keep on turning around us, and I wouldn’t even notice.”

She could feel his low, satisfied hum in his chest.

His southern twang became more pronounced, like it does when he gets riled up. Or nervous. “How ‘bout we stay here? _Live_ here – just us two. Like we’ve been doin’. Well, not _here_. At the house, I mean.”

Her eyes opened, and she lifted her head to look at him in surprise. He was already looking down at her, his free arm behind his head. His other hand had paused its movements, resting on her lower back. His face would’ve been unreadable to most. But his soft expression and mouth spoke volumes to her.

“I thought you wanted to go back,” she said carefully. She propped herself up on her elbow so she could look down at him clearly. “I thought you’d be bored of being out here for this long, if I’m being honest.”

“It’s just-” He hesitated. “Bein’ back there. Helpin’ and livin’ with the Saviors – that’s not what I want. What Rick is chasin’ is a lost cause, but the man is too blind to realize that.”

Her fingertips traced his face, lingering at the scar beneath his eye, as she spoke gently. “But we made a promise before we left. We knew that _this_ wasn’t going to be permanent. Regardless of what we think, they’re counting on us.”

“You saw what it was like before we left. Saviors ain’t got nothin’ to offer to the other communities, and half of ‘em don’t even want us there.”

“But it’s been a long time since then. Maybe things have gotten better. Either way, they’re gonna need us to look after the Saviors. Rosita and Eugene are supposed to move on to Oceanside. They’re just waiting for us two to come back.”

He nodded but avoided looking at her in the eyes.

“Hey.” She rested her palm on his cheek, waiting until he looked up at her. “I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. Not since the prison. I love being here. I love _you._ And even once we go back, it doesn’t have to be the end. We help get the Saviors on their feet. We do what we said we’d do. Once everything gets settled, we could come back here if we still want to. Promise.”

Daryl turned his head and pressed his lips into the palm of her hand. His stubble tickled her skin.

* * *

When Bella woke up, she instinctively knew it was _late._ How late? She didn’t know, but that sticky, anxious feeling told her it was dark out.

And when she raised her head from the slumbering chest of Daryl and looked out to the water, she saw hardly any light reflecting from the bottom.

As she reached for the canteen in Daryl’s pack, a slim white rectangle that was tucked in one of its pockets caught her eye. A hint of recognition in her eyes, she plucked the polaroid out.

She already knew what it was. She was just surprised he still carried it with him.

It was her and Daryl sitting on the steps of their cell block back at the prison. She was raising a challenging eyebrow at the camera, her middle finger raised. But the threat was minimized by the way she was laughing while doing so. Daryl was beside her, his hand trying to discreetly – and unsuccessfully – cover his own chuckle.

They looked impossibly young, even though it was only around two years ago. Less scars.

Daryl wasn’t ever really sentimental. Typically, he’d never care for photos. Or portraits. The only items he really looked after was his bike, crossbow, and vest. On the days Bella tried to get him to agree on having Anne sketch the two of them together, he would conveniently wake up early the next day and be long gone by the time Bella roused up.

“Why would I want to look at some drawin’ when I could look at you in front of me,” he would argue.

She decided to spare him the teasing, and instead slipped it into her pocket.

Daryl grunted when she jabbed his side. She jabbed harder.

He cracked one piercing blue eye open. “What?”

“It’s late. And the water is much higher than it used to be.”

The shore wasn’t that large – only a couple feet long and few feet wide. The reason Bella had woken up in the first place was from the uncomfortable feeling of water having had reached her side, soaking her shirt in the process.

He sat up, studying the water that had just reached him. He reached over and pulled out something from the pack. He shook it vigorously, and white light began to emit from the thick glow stick. Wrapped around in a string, he put it around her neck and did the same for himself. Sand caked his bare back, and Bella resisted the urge to brush it off. “High tide. Let’s check out the other caverns and see if we can find somewhere to settle for the night. We passed some places where we should be good. This place is gonna fill.”

“How can you tell?”

Daryl stood and pointed at the barnacle-lined walls. “If they got those there, there has to be water.”

Bella slung his pack over her shoulders and took his outstretched hand. He pulled her up and didn’t let go as he led her into the water. Her shirt that had clung to her form began to billow out as the water passed her waist – all the way up until she had to tread water.

She wasn’t the best swimmer, but this whole day had been enough for her to be able to hold herself up for a brief period of time. They really hadn’t needed to swim much accept in the beginning, but now, the water was much higher.

Some rooms that had only puddles of water were now completely filled. The gaps in the ceiling confirmed it was night time, leaving the caverns almost pitch dark. The only light came from the glow sticks around their necks and the occasional reflection of the full moon.

They soon found that most of the rooms Daryl tried leading them too were blocked off by other lower, overfilled rooms. The water was much noticeably higher and was up to their waist at this point.

Although unease was creeping up her chest, she didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t help her or Daryl, who was in survival mode at the moment.

When the water was up to her ribs, Daryl looked back at her. It calmed her to see that he wasn’t scared in the slightest. But his sheepish expression made her raise an eyebrow. “What?”

He scratched his head. “Y’ain’t gonna like it. But the only place left that I know of is the first cave we were at. The one we swam into.”

“Seriously? That place was already filled when we came in.”

“The barnacles stopped at a line not far from the ceilin’. And even if the water rises all the way up, there was that hole at the top we could climb out of. We just gotta tread for a little bit til the water goes down.”

She frowned and reluctantly assented. The pressure on her chest from the water was even more distracting now.

They reached the archway that led back into the dome. Well, at least where it was _supposed_ to be. The water had long rose up, completely submerging it.

Daryl tugged her hand to hold on to a wayward vine. “Hold on,” he said before disappearing underneath the water without waiting for a response.

She frowned and tried to track his movements. She could easily spot the white of his glow stick that glimmered in the water, but it was hard to tell how close he was. He seemed to be scaling the wall, moving side to side.

Not long after, he reappeared. “Ain’t to deep. You ready?”

She shut her eyes and followed his tugs and directions. While she liked the coolness of the water, the lack of sound, sight, and weight made the whole thing rather disconcerting. In a world where she relies on most of the senses to survive, it was unnerving to get used to.

Her ears popped as they sunk, and her lungs began to burn uncomfortably. But she felt the two of them rising until they broke the surface.

Eyes still shut to prevent water from coming in, she relied on Daryl to direct them to a wall. He found a part where a piece of the wall jutted out, forming a small ridge large enough for one of them to sit on.

She didn’t complain when he tugged her on the makeshift seat. It was a couple inches above the water. She lightly kicked her legs, which were mostly submerged. She studied the walls and saw that the line of barnacles ended about five feet above her. That’s still a lot of height for the water to gain.

“Let me know when you get tired,” she told him seriously. “We can switch whenever.”

He gave a soft “pfft.” But he swam lightly up to her and braced his arms on top of her thighs. He rested his cheek on top of his arms.

“This better not be a Jack and Rose moment,” she joked.

“The hell is Jack and Rose?”

She paused. “Nevermind.”

Bella combed through his hair lightly as she continued scanned the dome. There was only less than ten feet from them to the ceiling – about half of what it was when they were first here. She could easily see across due to the moonlight, which bathed everything in a soft glow. Only the water appeared dark – almost like ink.

Daryl’s heavy breathing echoed throughout the chamber. Amused, she realized he dozed off. She brushed his hair out of his face and smiled. He always looked so much younger when he slept. The stress and responsibility would seep away, leaving behind something pure.

At least he wasn’t snoring. It was a shock for when Bella first realized that Daryl _snored._ Well, only sometimes. And it was more like a soft rumble. She was incredulous when she realized that it was only when he fell into a deep rest that he snored. Before their relationship, she’s only slept next to him out _there,_ where one had to sleep with one eye open _._ He never could truly sleep when out there.  

Eventually, the water slowly crept up to the top of her thighs. To prevent himself from breathing in the water, she shook him awake.

He cracked an eye open.

“Come on. It’s your turn.” She slid off of the ridge into the water, reveling in its warmth compared to the cool air.

Daryl pushed himself onto the ledge, but as soon as he settled down, he swiftly pulled an unsuspecting Bella back onto his lap. He ignored her protests and simple said, “We’re soon gonna be treadin’ water for a long while. Should rest while we can.”

She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. She sat on one of his thighs with her legs going across. One of his arms wrapped around her back to support her weight, and the other hand lightly rested on top of her ankles. It always warmed her to see how far they’ve gone in their relationship. How easy it all was now.

Daryl seemed to have sensed the chilliness and was rubbing her back and ankles. Her soaked white button-up hardly did anything to help the matters. It clung to her like a second skin. Daryl, meanwhile, had been traipsing around the whole day without a shirt. But the body heat was also warming her, so she wasn’t complaining.

“You know, today was simultaneously your best and your worst idea,” she teased, not unkindly.

He snorted. Without ceasing his kneading, he said, “Just wanted to do somethin’ before we go. I will miss bein’ out here. Never thought I’d like bein’ by the ocean. Plus, knowin’ how to swim can be important one day.”

“All I know how to do is tread water by kicking my legs. I still can’t float by myself.”

“That’ll be enough for now.” His cheek rested against the top of her head. “Do you like swimmin’ so far?”

Bella wrinkled her nose. “The sensation of floating is strange. And being completely underwater – unable to breathe or hear - is unsettling.” She threaded her fingers through one of his hands, skimming his knuckles. “It’s funny. You’re a creature of the ground. Being on land and underwater is good for you. But you hate heights. And I love them.”

“Who says I ain’t like heights?”

“You try to hide it, but I can tell.”

Daryl chuckled and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “Makes sense why we both like the beach, I suppose.”

“How so?”

“Dunno. I guess the beach always seemed like where the sky and ground meet.”

* * *

Eventually, the water grew higher and pushed them up off the seat. The ceiling grew closer and the space became smaller.

The good thing was that for most of the time, there were bountiful amounts of vines or crevices for them to minimize effort in staying afloat.

But once the water reached the highest point, Bella and Daryl treaded water until the water began to recede.

Currently, her back was pressed against the cool stones. An arm was wrapped around Daryl’s neck and her legs around his waist.

She noticed his breathing was shallow. “You alright?”

Truth be told, Daryl wasn’t a big fan of the shrinking space. His breathing sounded too loud even to himself, and he was reminded of the fact it was because sound had less room to echo. It was dark and cool, and it reminded him of being locked in a closet.

This time, he rested his head on her shoulder. He attempted to steady out his breathing by inhaling deeply.

Although he didn’t say anything to respond, Bella – as usual – understood. She began to hum a tune softly in his ear. One of her fingers trailed his collarbone, and he focused on the feeling of her touch.

It wasn’t long before his heart slowed down, and he recovered from his momentary stress. But his heart still stuttered when Bella pressed her lips to his neck.

She liked that spot - the pulse point at the crook of his neck. And he’ll be damn honest in admitting that he liked it too.

She sucked and nipped his skin lazily and lightly. There wasn’t intense heat behind it - not with the precarious situation they were in - but it was enough for him to shift restlessly.

“Best not to do that right now. Not if we want to still be floatin’.”

Bella pulled back and raised an eyebrow. “Well, what else can we do?”

“Teach you how to swim properly.”

Her face immediately soured. “Mood killer.”

“C’mon.” He moved away from her grasp, and she reluctantly unwrapped her legs around her torso. He pulled back just so his hands rested on her hips.

“First, let’s try just goin’ underwater. Try openin’ your eyes once we go under, alright?”

He cupped her face, his thumbs beside her eyes. “Ready?”

She nodded, and the two were immersed in darkness.

The water was startling black. He couldn’t see the moon or the walls or anything else. Anything but the woman in front of him.

The glow stick emitted a white light and appeared almost like a star floating between them. It lit up her face, and he could see her eyes were still shut.

It wasn’t until he soothingly rubbed his thumbs beside her eyes that she opened them.

Her green eyes were dazzling in the bright light - the only color he could see down here. She could’ve been a siren appearing from the depths of the ocean, and he would’ve gladly sunk down with her if she asked. Her face appeared unnatrally pale, and the whole effect was beautiful and unsettling.

Her mouth opened in surprise as she took in him underwater. Bubbles bursted out from her mouth, causing her to immediately shut it in surprise.

Her smile widened and Daryl pulled the two back up.

He taught her how to float on her back. He supported her by placing his hands beneath her as she laid horizontally on the water. He could see every feature of the front of her bare body due to the wet white shirt that billowed around her. Her inky black hair drifted soundlessly around her head in a halo.

Daryl taught her how to swim forward when completely underwater. He’d swim across to the other side, and she’d swim to him. He liked watching from underwater. He was able to see her clearly in the darkness from both of their lights around their necks. It felt like they were floating in a bubble of their own universe with stars lighting the way.

When the water receded and the soft morning light streamed in, Daryl began to tug her towards where they first entered the caverns

“Wait.”

Daryl looked back at her curiously. “Yeah?”

“Can you take me to one of the caves? Any one that doesn’t fill up?”

He nodded, and the two through the archway that was now mostly above water. Daryl was a good teacher, and she didn’t need to hold onto him anymore. But neither of them had let go of each other’s hands.

Daryl led her through narrow tunnels. The path he took dipped down, causing them to have to swim. This whole place felt like a body. Like there were organs connected with veins and arteries.

When they began to swim upwards, the water levelled out, and she took in the cavern he led them to. It was small - the size of a cell. There was hardly any water in it and the sand was dry – meaning even the high tides don’t reach up here.

What was really breathtaking about this cavern in particular, was the immensely high ceiling. It was clear that water once filled the place. The walls were smooth with broad curves, as if mimicking the waves itself. Light that shown from the water shimmered against the stone, making it appear like the stone was moving.

“This alright?”

She nodded, stepping out of the water and onto the smooth sand.

“Why you wanted to come here?”

Bella turned around and raised something out of her front pocket. “A promise.”

She placed the polaroid against the wall. Grabbing a stone the size of her fist, she propped the photo up.

She met his confused expression and explained, “For when we come back. After.”

His lips quirked up into a soft smile.

Before she stood up, she plucked a small rock from the sand and pocketed it. “For the collection,” she explained unnecessarily.

She slipped into the water next to Daryl and began the swim down. Daryl moved to join her, but something caught his eye.

Embedded in the sand was a tiny ivory pearl. It was small – the size of a finger nail. But the surface of the stone appeared silky smooth. It was elegant and pure.

He thought about calling back Bella and giving it to her – he knew she’d love it. He could already see her surprised, soft smile in his head. But something held him back.

It wasn’t until that night when they were on land and back at home. The ocean breeze swirled in, and he could hear the calm sound of waves whispering against the shore. With Bella sleeping soundly beside him, Daryl looked at it and finally saw.

He saw the pearl on a small, golden band.

He saw it on her hand, clasped in his.

He saw a promise.

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU HAVE READ "Shit Happens":  
> This is kind of a ~sneak peak~ of Bella and Daryl as a couple (which will eventually happen aha). Don't be surprised if I actually end up adding this chapter (with some changes and edits) to SH. I have already planned out almost their whole lives tbh all the way up to season 9, and this story is one of the things I have planned. I purposely didn't specify where exactly they are in this story, where they live, and how long they've been out there because I want it to be a surprise!


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